Systems and methods for interactive physical environments

ABSTRACT

An interactive physical environment providing entertainment to a patron includes a room formed by modular walls coupled to one another, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the patron, and a control system. The room presents a game to a patron. The game includes a plurality of game components positionable in a first game configuration and a second game configuration. The first game configuration presenting a first challenge and the second game configuration presenting a second challenge. The second game configuration representing a solution to the first challenge. The control system receives patron identification information from the RFID tag associated with the patron. The control system selectively modifying the game presented by the room responsive to the received patron identification information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/209,957, filed Jun. 11, 2021, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The described technology relates generally to the field of interactivephysical environments and, in particular, interactive physicalenvironments that provide entertainment to patrons.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the described technology relates to an interactivephysical environment providing entertainment to a patron. Theinteractive physical environment includes a room formed by modular wallscoupled to one another. The room presents a game to a patron that hasgame components positionable in a first game configuration and a secondgame configuration. The first game configuration presents a firstchallenge to a patron of the room and the second game configurationpresents a second challenge to the patron. The second game configurationrepresenting a solution to the first challenge. A radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag is associated with the patron, and a controlsystem receives patron identification information from the RFID tag. Thecontrol system selectively modifies the game presented by the roomresponsive to the received patron identification information.

In some embodiments, the room includes a door and the control system canoperate the door to control ingress to the room. In other embodiments,the room includes a screen displaying patron status information receivedfrom the control system. In some of these other embodiments, the screendisplays an avatar associated with the patron that is received from thecontrol system. In others of these embodiments, the screen displays ahint for the game that is received from the control system.

In other embodiments, the control system monitors patron performancewhile playing the game. In still other embodiments, the control systemmodifies an avatar associated with the patron responsive to the patronperformance. In yet other embodiments, the control system awards areward point to the patron responsive to the completion of the game bythe patron. The interactive physical environment may also include aregistration kiosk to receive information from the patron that is usedto associate the RFID tag with the patron.

In another aspect, the described technology relates to a method forproviding entertainment to a patron in a physical environment. Modularwalls are coupled to one another to form a room. A game is presented toa patron, in the formed room. The game has components positionable in afirst game configuration and a second game configuration. The first gameconfiguration presents a first challenge to a patron and the second gameconfiguration presenting a second challenge to the patron. The secondgame configuration representing a solution to the first challenge. Aradio frequency identification (RFID) tag is associated with the patron.Patron identification information from the RFID tag associated with thepatron is received by a control system. The control system uses thereceived patron identification information to selectively modify thegame presented by the room.

In some embodiments, a door is provided to control ingress to the room.In other embodiments, patron status information is received from thecontrol system and displayed on a screen. In still other embodiments, anavatar associated with the patron is received from the control systemand displayed on a screen. In some of these still other embodiments thecontrol system modifies the avatar associated with the patron responsiveto the patron performance.

In some other embodiments, a hint for the game is received from thecontrol system and displayed on a screen. In yet other embodiments thecontrol system monitors patron performance. In other embodiments, thecontrol system awards a reward point to the patron responsive to thecompletion of the game by the patron. Information from the patron can bereceived at a registration kiosk and used to associate the RFID tag withthe patron.

In another aspect, the described technology relates to an interactivephysical environment providing entertainment to a patron. A scanneridentifies a patron of the interactive physical environment andtransmits patron identification information. A sensor determines andtransmits patron game performance data. A control system receives patronidentification information from the scanner and patron game performancedata from the sensor and, responsive to the received patronidentification information and patron game performance data, modifies anavatar associated with the patron.

In some embodiments, the scanner is a radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag scanner. In other embodiments, the scanner is a QR codescanner, bar code scanner or biometric characteristic scanner. Thescanner may transmit data via a wireless network. In some embodiments,the control system determines that a length of time taken by the patronto complete a game has exceeded a predetermined limit while in otherembodiments the control system determines whether an objective of thegame has been achieved by the patron. In further embodiments, thecontrol system configures an avatar associated with the patron by:retrieving, from a data storage element, a data structure representingan avatar associated with the patron via the patron identifyinginformation; updating the data structure responsive to the received gameperformance data; and storing the updated data structure in the datastorage element.

In another aspect, the described technology relates to a method forproviding entertainment to a patron via an interactive physicalenvironment. A scanner identifies a patron of the interactive physicalenvironment and transmits patron identification information. A sensordetermines and transmits patron game performance data. A control systemreceives the transmitted patron identification information and patrongame performance data and modifies an avatar associated with the patron.

In some embodiments, the scanner identifies the patron by scanning aradio-frequency identification (RFID) tag scanner associated with thepatron. In other embodiments, the scanner identifies the patron byscanning a QR code, bar code, or biometric characteristic associatedwith the patron. In further embodiments, the scanner transmits patronidentification information via a wireless network. In still furtherembodiments, the sensor transmits patron game performance data via awireless network. In some embodiments, the control system determinesthat a length of time taken by the patron to complete a game exceeds apredetermined threshold while in other embodiments the control systemdetermines whether an objective of the game has been achieved by thepatron. In yet further embodiments, modifying the avatar includesretrieving, from a data storage element, a data structure representingan avatar associated with the patron via the patron identifyinginformation, updating the data structure responsive to the receivedpatron game performance data, and storing the updated data structure inthe data storage element. In some of these yet further embodiments thedata structure is updated to include a reward amount based on the patrongame performance data.

In another aspect, the described technology relates to a self-resettinggame provided by an interactive physical environment that minimizes theneed for physical intervention to set the game up for subsequentpatrons. A plurality of game components are repositionable within a gameroom provided by the interactive physical environment. In a first gameconfiguration, the game components present a first challenge, whichrequires reconfiguration of the game components into a first solutionconfiguration. In a second game configuration, the game componentspresent a second challenge requiring reconfiguration of the plurality ofgame components into a second solution configuration, the second gameconfiguration is different from the second solution configuration. Thefirst game configuration may be different from the first solutionconfiguration. In some embodiments, the second presentation of theplurality of game components is the first solution configuration. Inother embodiments the first presentation of the plurality of gamecomponents is the second solution configuration.

In another aspect, the described technology relates to a method forproviding a self-resetting game in a game room provided by aninteractive physical environment. A plurality of game components areprovided that are repositionable within a game room provided by theinteractive physical environment. A control system determines that theplurality of game components are in a first configuration presenting afirst challenge, the first challenge requiring reconfiguration of theplurality of game components into a first solution configuration. Acontrol system allows a first patron into the game room. The controlsystem detects that the first patron has completed the game and that,after completion by the first patron, the plurality of game componentsare in second configuration presenting a second challenge, the secondchallenge requiring reconfiguration of the plurality of game componentsinto a second solution configuration, the second game configurationdifferent from the second solution configuration.

In some embodiments, the control system determines that the first gameconfiguration is different from the first solution configuration. Inother embodiments, the control system determines that the secondpresentation of the plurality of game components is the first solutionconfiguration. In still other embodiments, the control system determinesthat the first presentation of the plurality of game components is thesecond solution configuration. In still other embodiments, a secondpatron is allowed into the game room and the control system determines,after completion by the second patron, that the game components are in athird presentation of the plurality of game components presenting thefirst challenge. In further embodiments, the control system determines acompletion of the game by the first patron by detecting the expirationof a predetermined time period or by detecting that the plurality ofgame components comprise the first solution configuration.

This summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any waylimiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of thedevices or processes described herein will become apparent in thedetailed description set forth herein, taking in conjunction with theaccompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interactive physical environment,according to an example embodiment.

FIGS. 2-6 are various views of a check-in screen for a check-in processof a patron entering the interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 ,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modular room of the interactivephysical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view of a display screen of a hunt kiosk of the interactivephysical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are example views of components for use in a game hunt ofthe interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 11 is another view of a display screen of a hunt kiosk of theinteractive physical environment of FIG. 1 , showing a locked screen,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 12 is another perspective view of the modular room of interactivephysical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 13 is perspective view of a modular room of the interactivephysical environment of FIG. 1 , showing an example wall configuration,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the modular room of FIG. 13 , showing thelinkage assemblies, according to an example embodiment.

FIGS. 15-19 are various perspective views of wall configurations forassembly into the modular room of FIG. 13 , according to exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 20-25 are various perspective views of linkage assemblies forassembly into the modular room of FIG. 13 , according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the wall configuration of FIG. 15 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the wall configuration of FIG. 16 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the wall configuration of FIG. 18 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a detailed view of the linkage assembly of FIG. 16 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a detailed view of the linkage assembly of FIG. 17 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a detailed view of the linkage assembly of FIG. 19 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a top view of the modular room of FIG. 13 , showing thecoupling between the wall configuration and the linkage assembly,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a radio frequency identification (RFID)tag for use in the interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 ,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram depicting various aspects of a system forcontrolling the interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 , accordingto an example embodiment.

FIGS. 35-39 are various views of displays from a patron kiosk of theinteractive physical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 40 is a diagram of a patron card data element for use in theinteractive physical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exampleembodiment.

FIGS. 41 and 42 are various views of patron cards from a patron kiosk ofthe interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exampleembodiment.

FIGS. 43-47 are various views of displays from a patron kiosk of theinteractive physical environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 48 is a diagram of a patron avatar data element for use in thepatron card of FIG. 40 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 49 is a front view of a patron avatar for association with a uniquepatron within the interactive physical environment of FIG. 1 , accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 50 shows various views of patron avatars corresponding to variouspatron levels for use in the patron card of FIG. 40 , according to anexample embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before turning to the FIGURES, which illustrate certain exampleembodiments in detail, it should be understood that the presentdisclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in thedescription or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understoodthat the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description onlyand should not be regarded as limiting.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , and in overview, an interactive physicalenvironment 100 is shown that includes a warehouse 130, offices 140, ataproom 150, a tunnel 160, restrooms 170, a kitchen 180, beer hall 190and one or more modular game rooms 200. In other embodiments, theinteractive physical environment includes a subset of the elementsdepicted in FIG. 1 . For example, in one embodiment, the interactivephysical environment includes a warehouse 130, restrooms 170 and one ormore modular game rooms 200. Although a specific orientation of rooms(e.g., entrances 110, 120, warehouse 130, offices 140, taproom 150,tunnel 160, restrooms 170, kitchen 180, beer hall 190, and modular gamerooms 200) are depicted in FIG. 1 , it should be appreciated that therooms can take on any configuration that would be suitable to provide auser experience.

Still referring to FIG. 1 , and in greater detail, the interactivephysical environment 100 may be configured as an entertainmentenvironment. The interactive physical environment 100 may be defined, orotherwise positioned, within a building environment. In someembodiments, the interactive physical environment 100 may be definedwithin a stand-alone building, mall, or the like. In other embodiments,the interactive physical environment 100 may be a virtual room includingone or more virtual environments. The interactive physical environment100 may be configured to provide at least one of a gaming, food, ordrink experiences to a user or patron.

The interactive physical environment 100 may include one or moreentrances, shown as first entrance 110 and second entrance 120. Thefirst entrance 110 and the second entrance 120 may be substantiallysimilar to one another. In other embodiments, the first entrance 110 maybe substantially different to the second entrance 120. The entrances110, 120 may provide the user entry into the interactive physicalenvironment 100. As shown in FIG. 1 , the first entrance 110 may directthe user through a tunnel 160. The tunnel 160 may provide a barrier,boundary, or the like about the user when the user is traveling throughthe tunnel 160. In some embodiments, the tunnel 160 includes one or morestations at which the user may register themselves, such as byassociating a user profile with a token. Accordingly, the secondentrance 120 may permit the user access into the interactive physicalenvironment 100, without traveling through any tunnel. In someembodiments, the second entrance 120 may also include a tunnel 160.Although only two entrances 110, 120 are described above, theinteractive physical environment 100 may include more than twoentrances. The entrances 110, 120 may include one or more doors thatselectively open and close to permit the user access to the interactivephysical environment 100. The doors may be automatic doors, manualdoors, or a combination thereof.

The interactive physical environment 100 may further include a warehouse130. The warehouse 130 may be positioned opposite the first entrance110, as depicted in FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the warehouse 130 maybe positioned adjacent the first entrance 110. The warehouse 130 maystore and/or house components for use in the interactive physicalenvironment 100. For example, the warehouse 130 may include sparecomponents for a modular game room 200. In another example, thewarehouse 130 may store a control system for the modular game rooms 200present in the interactive physical environment 100. The interactivephysical environment 100 may include offices 140. In some embodiments,the offices 140 may be positioned adjacent the warehouse 130. Theoffices 140 may include one or more desks and/or office space whereemployees of the interactive physical environment 100 may have a desiredspace or choose a space to work and/or relax.

The interactive physical environment 100 may further include a taproom150. The taproom 150 may be a room positioned adjacent the firstentrance 110, where a patron may go to for a beverage and/or to relax.In other embodiments, the taproom 150 may be positioned distal the firstentrance 110. Additionally or alternatively, the taproom 150 may includeone or more tables, where a patron can sit and relax.

The interactive physical environment 100 may include a restrooms 170.The restroom 170 may include one or more restrooms for the patrons. Therestroom 170 may be positioned adjacent the first entrance 110, betweenthe first entrance 110 and the second entrance 120. The interactivephysical environment 100 may include more than one restroom 170. Forexample, the interactive physical environment 100 may include a firstrestroom 170 designated for patron and/or employee use and a secondrestroom 170 designated for employee use.

The interactive physical environment 100 may include a kitchen 180. Thekitchen 180 may be positioned adjacent the taproom 150. In otherembodiments, the kitchen 180 may be positioned distal the taproom 150.In still other embodiments, the interactive physical environment 100 mayinclude additional kitchens 180. The kitchen 180 may be a room wherepatrons can order and/or eat food. According to one example embodiment,the kitchen 180 may include a menu where the patron can place afood/drink order off of the menu. Additionally or alternatively, thekitchen 180 may include a pre-made section where the patron can orderfood/drinks that are pre-made. The interactive physical environment 100may include a beer hall 190. The beer hall 190 may be positionedadjacent the kitchen 180. Additionally or alternatively, the beer hall190 may be positioned centrally within the interactive physicalenvironment 100. The patron may be able to order and/or drink a beverage(e.g., beer, etc.) within the beer hall 190. The patron may otherwiseorder a beverage at the taproom 150 and enjoy the beverage at the beerhall 190.

The interactive physical environment 100 may include one or more modulargame rooms 200, where the patron can interact with games provided in themodular game rooms 200 to achieve challenges and receive a patronexperience. As will be discussed in greater detail herein, a controlsystem may control, track, or otherwise determine a game status withinthe modular game rooms 200. The interactive physical environment 100 mayinclude any number of modular game rooms 200. In some embodiments, theinteractive physical environment 100 includes more than 10 modular gamerooms 200. In other embodiments, the interactive physical environment100 includes more than 25 modular game rooms 200. In still otherembodiments, the interactive physical environment 100 includes between40 and 50 modular game rooms 200. In still further embodiments, theinteractive physical environment 100 includes more than 50 modular gamerooms 200. In further embodiments, the interactive physical environment100 includes more than 100 modular game rooms 200. The modular gamerooms 200 may each include different games or challenges different fromthe other modular game rooms 200 present in the interactive physicalenvironment. In other embodiments, certain ones of the modular gamerooms 200 may provide similar games or challenges. In some of theseembodiments, game rooms 200 may be grouped together based on theme,e.g., a cluster of rooms may provide outer space themed games. Thedifferent games may be a combination of physical and mental challenges,although other game types may be contemplated. The different challengesmay require patrons to exercise a combination of strength, agility,skill, logic, memory, and communication, although other challenges maybe contemplated.

Upon entering the interactive physical environment 100, the patron mayneed to check in. The check in may be a first time check in for a newpatron, or an existing check-in for an existing patron. A new patron isrequired to create a new profile. One embodiment of a process forcreating the new profile is shown in FIGS. 2-6 . As shown in FIG. 2 ,upon entrance into the interactive physical environment 100, the patronselects between registering an account or logging in to an existingaccount 195 a. When the patron selects to register a new account, thepatron is asked to identify a name for the account 195 b, as shown inFIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the patron may then input their birthday195 c. After the birthday is entered, the patron may then enter in aphone number 195 d, as shown in FIG. 5 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the patronmay then input a desired login name 195 e. Existing patrons may loginusing existing login credentials to access their profile. The kioskallows a user profile to be associated with an RFID tag, QR code or barcode associated with the patron. Alternatively, the kiosk may be used tocollect biometric characteristics for identifying the patron. In otherembodiments, a patron's login at the kiosk may activate an applet ontheir mobile phone to be used to identify the patron in the environment100. Although a specific order of steps has been described forregistering the patron, it can be appreciated that the steps may happenin any order and, in some embodiments, certain steps may be omitted. Forexample, in some embodiments, the patron my not be required to entertheir birthday or phone number.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the modular game rooms 200 may includewalls 210 and other physical structures. The walls 210 may create aphysical boundary for a patron to be positioned within. According to oneembodiment, a modular game room 200 may not include a ceiling, such thatthe patrons positioned within the modular game room 200 may see outsideof the modular game room 200. The walls 210 may form interior rooms 220within the modular game room 200. The modular game rooms 200 may includeinterior rooms 220 for games having multiple steps and/or challenges.The interior rooms 220 may define any dimensions or configurations forthe desired game. For example, the modular room 200 may include twointerior rooms 220 for games having two steps and/or challenges. Inanother example, the modular room 200 may not include any interior rooms220 for games having one step and/or challenge. According to one exampleembodiment, the modular game rooms 200 may be defined in open areas. Insuch an embodiment, the modular game rooms 200 may not include any walls210, where the modular game rooms 200 may instead be open worldconcepts.

A patron may enter the modular room 200 through one or more entrances,shown as room entrance 230. The room entrance 230 may permit the patronaccess within the modular game rooms 200. By way of example, patrons mayenter into the modular game rooms 200 via the room entrance 230 andadditionally exit the modular game rooms 200 via the room entrance 230.In other embodiments, the modular room 200 may include additionalentrances, where the patrons can enter into the modular room 200 via theroom entrance 230 and exit the modular room 200 via the additionalentrance. The modular room 200 may be configured to a group size betweentwo and six patrons. In other embodiments, the modular room 200 may beconfigured for group sizes exceeding six patrons. According to oneexample embodiment, the modular room 200 may include a game time ofbetween 1 and 10 minutes. More specifically, the game time may be within2 and 4 minutes. In other embodiments, the game time may exceed 10minutes.

The modular game rooms 200 may include a patron kiosk 212. In someembodiments, the patron kiosk provides information to a patron regardingthe game provided by the game room 200. A patron may also use the patronkiosk 212 to access, edit, and/or otherwise manage a patron card. Aswill be discussed in greater detail herein, the patron card may be aunique patron card designated and customized for a specific patron. Thepatron card may be accessible and managed by the patron associated witha specific patron card. The patron may access the patron card via thepatron kiosk 212 before or after the patron plays the game. In otherembodiments, the patron may access the patron card during the game. Thepatron may access the patron card before entering the modular room 200to see profile details, such as currency currently earned, level,achievement, currency needed to achieve a new level or purchase in-gameor real-world elements, remaining time, a map of the space, or the like.In one embodiment, the patron may scan a radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag via the patron kiosk 212 to open and/or access the desiredpatron card. In other embodiments, the patron kiosk may accept alternateforms of identification to allow the patron to access the patron card(e.g., bar code, QR code, a Bluetooth device, retinal identification,facial identification, fingerprint, etc.).

The modular game room 200 may include an exit monitor 214. The exitmonitor 214 may be positioned within the modular game room 200, wherepatrons within the modular room 200 may see and/or access the exitmonitor 214. In some embodiments, the exit monitor 214 displaysinstructions or information to patrons in the room 200. In otherembodiments, the exit monitor 214 may display a status of the game,including a status level identifying the game status or level of awardachieved. For example, the exit monitor 214 may display three stars,where each star resembles a level of award achieved (e.g., three starsbeing the highest award, etc.). The patrons may achieve additionalchallenges within the game to be awarded additional stars. Additionallyor alternatively, the exit monitor 214 may display a random element,such as a prize wheel. The random element may be used after completionof the game to award additional prizes to the patron. For example, inone embodiment the random element is a wheel, and additional prizes maybe awarded upon a successful spin of the wheel. The prizes may includein-game currency or reward points such as coins, keys, rewardmultiplier, power-ups, special abilities, upgrades to player avatar,etc., or real-world prizes such as apparel, merchandise, food, beverage,etc. In other embodiments, the prizes may be redeemable tokens or passesfor additional play time. In some embodiments, the random element mayonly be used upon successful completion of the game. In otherembodiments, the random element may be used following every game,regardless of whether the patrons were successful or not.

The modular room 200 may include external games, shown in FIG. 7 as gamehunts 216. Game hunts 216 may include an additional patron interface,referred to herein as hunt kiosk, coupled to an exterior of the modulargame rooms 200. The hunt kiosk may be substantially similar to thepatron kiosk 212. The patrons not playing the game within the modularroom 200 may play the game hunts 216. Additionally or alternatively, thehunt kiosk may not be coupled to the exterior of the modular game rooms200 but may, instead, be freestanding or coupled to a wall of theenvironment 100. The game hunts 216 may provide an additional patronexperience other than the games within the modular game rooms 200. Thegame hunts 216 may be games requiring the patrons to find and/or locateparticular components (e.g., artifacts, art, technology, shapes,symbols, etc.). The game hunts 216 may include different systems otherthan the systems for the modular game room 200 such that the patrons mayhave more time or different awards for the game hunts 216. In otherembodiments, the game hunts 216 may include a substantially similarsystem to the system for the modular game room 200.

To check-in to the hunt kiosk, the patron may scan their associated RFIDtag via the hunt kiosk. In other embodiments, the patron kiosk mayaccept alternate forms of identification to allow the patron to accessthe patron card (e.g., bar code, QR code, a Bluetooth device, retinalidentification, facial identification, fingerprint, etc.). The game hunt216 may define a game time within a maximum time of 20 minutes. The huntkiosk may display a first screen, as shown in FIG. 8 . The first screenmay display the instructions and how to achieve the objective. In otherembodiments, the game time may exceed 20 minutes. The game hunt 216 mayinclude one or more correct components and one or more incorrectcomponents. Examples of components are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . Thecomponents may include, but not be limited to, glyphs (e.g., punny art,magic eye art, low poly art, overhead art, string art, shadow art, muralart, perspective illusions, etc.). The patron may identify the correctcomponents to earn digital prizes or reward points (e.g., stars, rooms,apparel, merchandise, reward multipliers, gems, keys, etc.).Accordingly, identification of incorrect components may penalize thepatron. For example, if the patron selects the incorrect component, thepatron be locked out from the hunt kiosk for a period of time, as shownin FIG. 11 . In one example, the patron may be locked out for 15seconds. In another example, the time of which the patron is locked outincreases with the number of incorrect component selections.

The modular game room 200 may include one or more sensory effects, shownas lighting modules 218 and audio modules 219. The lighting modules 218may be configured to provide light to within the modular room 200. Ascan be appreciated, the lighting modules 218 may be positioned anywherewithin the room 200, such as at a ceiling, or proximate the ceiling, ofthe modular room 200, where the lighting modules 218 provides arealighting or effect lighting within. The lighting modules 218 may outputlights having varying color, brightness, shape, pulse, etc. as such toenhance a patron experience. The lighting modules 218 may be controlledby the control system, and may be influenced by, or provide visualfeedback on, the patron's performance or status in the room. In oneexample, the lighting modules 218 may provide light to game componentswithin the modular room 200. In other examples, the lighting modules 218may provide light onto boundaries or structures within the modular room200. The modular room 200 may further include additional lightingmodules 218 positioned proximate a floor of the modular room such toprovide light to the floor. The audio modules 219 may be positionedproximate the lighting modules 218, where the audio modules 219 provideaudio to the modular room 200. The audio modules 219 may be controlledby the control system. The audio may be one of music, sound effects, orstatus audio (e.g., vocal hint, time remaining, completion status,etc.). For example, the audio modules 219 may provide a time remainingstatus to the patrons to inform them of an amount of time remaining inthe game. In another example, the audio modules 219 may provide a gamestatus to the patrons to inform them that the patrons have correctly orincorrectly performed a specific action. In another example, the audiomodules 219 may be associated with a command speaker, where the audiomodules 219 output a general statement outputted via an employee (e.g.,closing soon, interactive physical environment 100 status, etc.).

Referring generally to FIGS. 13-32 , the modular game room 200 may bedefined by the walls 210 and/or other physical structures. In someembodiments, the physical structures may be game components, objects,obstacles, etc. The walls 210 further define the rooms 220. As discussedabove, the modular game room 200 may include any number of internalrooms 220 such to make up the game and/or challenge, where the internalrooms 220 are accessible by the patrons through the room entrance 230.The internal rooms 220 may include any number of room entrances 230(e.g., one room entrance 230, two room entrances 230, three roomentrances 240, etc.). The internal rooms 220 may have any dimensions(e.g., length, width, height, etc.) to permit the patrons accessibilityand mobility within the rooms 220 to complete the challenge. In oneexample, the rooms 220 may define a room length within a range of 3 to20 feet and a room width within a range of 3 to 20 feet. In anotherexample, the room length and the room width may exceed 20 feet.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the walls 210 may include one or more linkageassemblies, shown as linear linkage assembly 240 and angular linkageassembly 260. The linkage assemblies 240, 260 may be positioned alongone or more top surfaces of the walls 210. In some embodiments, thelinkage assemblies 240, 260 may be positioned along one or more bottomsurfaces of the walls 210. In other embodiments, the linkage assemblies240, 260 may be integrated into the walls 210 (e.g., joints, fasteners,interlocking mechanisms, etc.). By way of example, the linkageassemblies 240, 260 may be coupled to, and extend from, the top surfaceof the walls 210 to define an enclosed space. Additionally oralternatively, the linkage assemblies 240, 260 may include room hardware(e.g., lighting, speaker, wiring, etc.). As will be discussed in greaterdetail herein, the linkage assemblies 240, 260 may be include one ormore receiver interfaces 380 that permit a quick connect and disconnectof the linkage assemblies 240, 260 to the walls 210.

The walls 210 may include a covering, panel, or the like, shown as wallpanels 212. The wall panels 212 may be flat panels coupled to at leastone of an exterior or interior of the walls 210. In some embodiments,the wall panels 212 are not flat panels and instead include a protrudingor curved structure. According to one embodiment, the wall panels 212are coupled to both the exterior and the interior of the walls 210. Thewall panels 212 may be coupled to one or more structures (e.g., top wallsupport 270, bottom wall support 280, side wall support 290, middlesupport 300, and horizontal support 310 of FIG. 21 ) via one or morefasteners (e.g., locating pin, bolt, bracket, adhesive, etc.). In someembodiments, the wall panels 212 may be fixedly coupled to thestructures, where the wall panels 212 may not be removed from thestructures. The wall panels 212 may define a panel height. The panelheight may not extend along an entire height of the walls 210. Instead,the wall panels 212 may abut a top portion of the walls 210 and includea gap proximate a bottom of the walls 210. In other embodiments, thewall panel 212 may extend along the entire height of the walls 210. Thestructure of wall panels 212 allow them to easily set up and removed,which allows the rooms 200 within the physical environment 100 to bechanged easily and regularly to avoid patron boredom.

As shown in FIGS. 15-19 , various wall configurations are depicted. Thewall configurations may be at least one of a first linear wall 212 a(e.g., shown in FIG. 15 ), a door wall 212 b (e.g., shown in FIG. 16 ),a second linear wall 212 c (e.g., shown in FIG. 17 ), a corner wall 212d (e.g., shown in FIG. 18 ), and a T-wall 212 e (shown in FIG. 19 ). Theliner walls 212 a, 212 c may be linear walls including flat wall panels212. The first linear wall 212 a may be substantially similar to thesecond linear wall 212 b, except for a wall length. According to oneembodiment the first linear wall 212 a may define a wall length of fourfeet, and the second linear wall 212 c may define a wall length of 2feet. In other embodiments, the linear walls 212 a, 212 c may includeany wall length that will create the room 220 (e.g., one foot, two feet,three feet, four feet, five feet, six feet, seven feet, eight feet,etc.). The door wall 212 b may be substantially similar to the firstlinear wall 212 a (e.g., similar wall length, etc.), although the doorwall 212 b may further include a passage for the room entrance 230. Thepassage for the room entrance 230 may define a substantially similargeometry to the room entrance 230. In other embodiments, the door wall212 b may have a different wall length compared to the first linear wall212 a to permit various sizes of room entrances 230.

The corner wall 212 d may define an angular wall section (e.g., 15degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees, 105degrees, 120 degrees, 135 degrees, 150 degrees, 165 degrees, etc.). Thecorner wall 212 d may be positioned where the room 220 has a bend orotherwise changes from a linear direction. For example, the corner wall212 d may be positioned at a corner of the room 220 to join two linearwalls 212 a, 212 c. In another example, the corner wall 212 d may becoupled to the T-wall 212 e to form a small room construction. TheT-wall 212 e may define a structure having two linear portions, wherethe linear portions are positioned perpendicular to one another. Inother embodiments, the T-wall 212 e may be have a first linear portionangularly provided in relation to a second linear portion. Although thewall configurations 212 a, 212 b, 212 c, 212 d, 212 e have beendescribed individually, it should be understood that the wallconfigurations may be coupled to, or otherwise used in any combinationwith, one another to form the room 220.

Referring now to FIGS. 26-28 , various views of the wall configurations212 a, 212 b, 212 d are depicted. The wall configurations may includerespective top and bottom members, shown as top wall support 270 andbottom wall support 280. The top wall support 270 may be positionedproximate a top of the wall 210, where the top wall support 270 extendshorizontally along the wall 210. Accordingly, the bottom wall support270 may be positioned proximate a bottom of the wall 210, where thebottom wall support 270 extends horizontally along the wall 210.According to one embodiment, the top and bottom wall supports 270, 280may extend along an entire length of the wall 210. In other embodiments,the top and bottom wall supports 270, 280 may extend along a portion ofa length of the wall 210. The wall configurations may include one ormore vertical extending members, shown as side wall supports 290 andmiddle support 300. The side wall supports 290 may extend verticallyfrom ends of the top and bottom wall supports 270, 280. The middlesupport 300 may be provided between each side wall support 290 andfurther extend vertically between the top wall support 270 and thebottom wall support 280. The middle support 300 may be providedsubstantially parallel to the side wall supports 290. The middle support300 may extend vertically from a midpoint of the wall configuration. Inother embodiments, the middle support 300 may extend vertically from alocation offset the midpoint of the wall configuration. In still otherembodiments, the middle support 300 may be angularly provided betweenthe side wall supports 290. In some examples, the wall configuration maynot need any middle support 300.

The wall configuration may further include one or more horizontalsupports 310. The horizontal supports 310 may extend between the middlesupport 300 and the respective side wall supports 290. In otherembodiments, the horizontal supports 310 may extend between middlesupports 300. As can be appreciated, the horizontal supports 310 mayrigidly hold the wall configuration and prevent side sway. The wallconfiguration may include any number of horizontal supports 310 thatprevent side sway (e.g., two horizontal supports 310, four horizontalsupports 310, six horizontal supports 310, etc.).

Referring specifically to FIG. 26 , a wall configuration for the firstlinear wall 212 a is shown. As shown, the wall configuration defines asubstantially rectangular construction, having two side wall supports290 defined between a top wall support 270 and a bottom wall support280. The wall configuration further includes a middle support 300extending vertically between the side wall supports 290. The wallconfiguration is rigidly held together via horizontal supports 310positioned proximate the top wall support 270. In other embodiments, thehorizontal supports 310 may be positioned proximate the bottom wallsupport 280.

Referring specifically to FIG. 27 , a wall configuration for the doorwall 212 b is shown. As shown, the wall configuration defines asubstantially rectangular construction having an open section for theroom entrance 230. The wall configuration includes two side wallsupports 290 defined between a top wall support 270 and two bottom wallsupports 280. The wall configuration further includes two middleportions 300 extending vertically between the side wall supports 290 andoffset from a midpoint of the wall configuration. The wall configurationis rigidly held together via a single horizontal support 310 positionedunderneath the middle supports 310 and extending between the side wallsupports 290. In other embodiments, the wall configuration may includemultiple horizontal supports 310.

Referring specifically to FIG. 28 , a wall configuration for the cornerwall 212 d is shown. As shown, the wall configuration includes twolinear wall configurations coupled together by a corner support 320.Each linear wall configuration includes two side wall supports 290extending between a top wall support 270 and a bottom wall support 280.The linear wall configurations may further be rigidly held together viaa single horizontal support 310 positioned proximate the top wallsupport 270. In some embodiments, the horizontal support 310 may bepositioned proximate the bottom wall support 280. In other embodiments,the linear wall configuration may include multiple horizontal supports310.

As shown in FIGS. 20-25 , various linkage assemblies are depicted. Thelinkage assemblies may be at least one of a first header linkage 240 a(e.g., shown in FIG. 20 ), a second header linkage 240 b (e.g., shown inFIG. 21 ), a third header linkage 240 c (e.g., shown in FIG. 22 ), afourth header linkage 240 d (e.g., shown in FIG. 23 ), an inside cornerlinkage 260 a (e.g., shown in FIG. 24 ), and an outside corner linkage260 b (e.g., shown in FIG. 25 ). The header linkages 240 a-240 d may belinear linkages. The header linkages 240 a-240 d may be positioned alonglinear wall configurations or linear portions thereof. The headerlinkages 240 a-240 d may be substantially similar to one another butdefine varying lengths. For example, in one embodiment, the first headerlinkage 240 a may be 2 feet long, the second header linkage 240 b may befour feet long, the third header linkage 240 c may be six feet long, andthe fourth header linkage 240 d may be eight feet long. In anotherexample, the header linkages 240 a-240 d may define different lengthsthan described herein. The corner linkages 260 a, 260 b may bepositioned along corners or angular wall configurations. The cornerlinkages 260 a, 260 b may couple walls that may be angularly providedfrom one another. Additionally or alternatively the corner linkages 260a, 260 b are utilized for corners defined by the corner wall 240 d andthe T-wall 240 e. By way of example, the inside corner linkage 260 a maybe positioned along an inside of the walls 210 and the outside cornerlinkage 260 b may be positioned along an outside of the walls 210. Thewalls 210 may utilize both the inside corner linkage 260 a and theoutside corner linkage 260 b when simultaneously. In other embodiments,the walls 210 may only utilize one of the inside corner linkage 260 aand the outside corner linkage 260 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 29-31 , various views of the linkage assemblies240 a, 240 d, 260 a are depicted. The linkage assemblies may includeside linkages, shown as first side linkage 330 and second side linkage360. The side linkages 330, 360 may define an outermost structure of thelinkage assembly, where the side linkages 330, 360 are coupled together.The linkage assemblies may include second side linkages 360 positionedat ends of the linkage assemblies. Additionally or alternatively,multiple second side linkages 360 may be positioned internal the linkageassemblies. In such an embodiment, the internal second side linkages 360may be configured to support the first side linkages 330. The linkageassemblies may include one or more linkage side panels 340. The linkageside panels 340 may be coupled to one of the first side linkages 330. Inother embodiments, the linkage side panels 340 may be coupled to thesecond linkage 360. The linkage side panels 340 may be positionedproximate an end of the walls 210, where the linkage side panels 340create a smooth outer surface of the linkage assemblies. Similarly tothe linkage side panels 340, the linage assemblies may further includeone or more linkage bottom panels 350. The linkage bottom panels 350 maybe positioned proximate a top or a bottom of the linkage assemblies,where the linkage bottom panels 350 create a smooth outer surface of thelinkage assemblies.

The linkage assemblies may be coupled to the walls via one or moreconnecting linkages 370. The connecting linkages 370 may be positionedinternal the side linkages 330, 360 where the connecting linkages 370protrude outward from the first side linkage 330. More specifically theconnecting linkages 370 may include a receiver interface 380. Thereceiver interface 380 may extend outward past the first side linkage330. In other embodiments, the receiver interface 380 may not extendpast the first side linkage 330. The receiver interface 380 may be aslot configured to receive a top of the top wall support 270, such thatthe linkage assembly extends outward from walls. In other embodiments,the linkage assemblies may be positioned over top of the top wallsupport 270. According to one embodiment, the receiver interface 380 maydefine a quick connect/disconnect for the linkage assembly to the wallconfiguration. In such an embodiment, the receiver interface 380 hooksonto the wall configuration to rigidly secure the linkage assembly tothe wall. In other embodiments, the linkage assembly may be fastened tothe wall configuration (e.g., bracket, bolt, adhesive, etc.). Thelinkage assembly permits a relatively quick construction and/ordeconstruction of the walls 210. As can be appreciated, when changinggame types and/or traveling, the walls 210 may be quickly assembled ordisassembled for the needs. Additionally or alternatively, the employeesmay be able to quickly reassemble new wall configurations for a new gametype to provide an enhanced patron experience.

Referring now to FIG. 33 , the interactive physical environment 100 maydetect, or otherwise be communicably coupled to one or more radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags, shown as RFID tags 400. An RFIDtag 400 may be associated with a single patron, where the RFID tag 400transmits an RFID signal 410. The RFID signal 410 may be unique for eachRFID tag 400 such that the patron is identified by the unique RFIDsignal 410. As shown in FIG. 33 , the RFID tag 400 may a bracelet, wherethe patron wears the bracelet around a portion of the patron body. Inother embodiments, the RFID tag 400 may be a badge or scannable device,where the badge is worn or otherwise associated with the patron. TheRFID tag 400 may permit the user access to the patron's account. Theenvironment 100 may include an account associated with each uniquepatron, where the RFID tag 400 may be scanned to permit the patronaccess to the account. In other embodiments, the patron is associatedwith a unique identification number (e.g., account number, customernumber, patron number, etc.) allowing the patron to access their accountvia the unique identification number.

In other embodiments, the interactive physical environment 100 maydetect a patron using alternative methods from RFID tags 400. In oneexample, the interactive physical environment 100 may detect thepresence of a patron via a cellular device. In such an embodiment, theinteractive physical environment 100 may detect the patron by Bluetoothwithin the cellular device, a cellular application in which the patroninterfaces with the cellular application, an online website in which thepatron interfaces with the website, or the like. In another example, theinteractive physical environment 100 may detect the presence of thepatron using biometric identification methods (e.g., facial recognition,retinal recognition, fingerprint, etc.). In still other embodiments, theinteractive physical environment 100 may detect the patron via a QR codeor bar code. In these embodiments, the codes may be printed on a badgeassociated with the patron or the codes may be printed directly on apatron's body, such as on their hand.

Referring now to FIG. 34 , the interactive physical environment 100 apatron 530 may be associated with an identifier 535, rooms 220, and acontrol system 550. The rooms 220 may include the patron kiosk 212 andone or more sensors, shown as room sensors 542. In one embodiment, thepatron 530 scans their identifier 535 at a scanner provided inconnection with the patron kiosk 212. The patron 530 may scan theidentifier 535 to enter the room 220 or play a game within the room 220.The games may include any one of a physical challenge, mental challenge,skill challenge, mystery challenge, communication challenge, orcombination thereof. Control system 550 may be provided on site,deployed in the cloud, or deployed as a hybrid system in which certainmachines are located on site and other resources are deployed in thecloud.

The rooms 200 may include one or more room sensors 542. The room sensors542 may be one of proximity sensors, pressure sensors, temperaturesensors, optical sensors, or the like. In a specific embodiment, roomsensors may be provided as LIDAR sensors. The room sensors 542 may bepositioned externally to the rooms 220 or internally to the rooms 220.As will be discussed in greater detail herein, the room sensors 542 mayprovide data to the control system 550 to determine a status of thegame.

In one example game, the game may include a physical challenge, wherethe patrons 530 may complete the challenge by completing a physicalobjective. The physical objective may be to throw a ball into an area,to cross the room 220, to climb an object, or otherwise perform anyphysical action to achieve the objective. As can be appreciated, theroom 220 may include various types of sensors (e.g., temperature,proximity, accelerometer, infrared, light, ultrasonic, pressure, LIDAR,etc.) that detect at least one of the patron 530 or a game component.

In one embodiment, a physical challenge may instruct patrons to stand ona small walkway around three sides of the room 220 in order to throwballs through an overhead target without touching the ground. Each ballthrown through the target earns a point. If the patrons fall, a sensor542 registers the pressure from the patron on the floor and transmitsthat data to the control system 550 via the network 540. The controlssystem 550 receives the sensor data and determines that the patron hasfailed. The control system transmits data back to the room 220 to, insome embodiments, cause a sound to be emitted or, in other embodiments,cause the exit monitor 214 to display a failure status to the patron.The game may permit patrons 75 seconds to complete the challenge. Inother embodiments, the game may permit more time than 75 seconds tocomplete the objective. For embodiments in which there is a time limitto complete the challenge, the control system 550 receives data from thepatron kiosk 212 that the patron has started the game. Processor 554executes a countdown timer program and, if no data is received from theroom sensors 542 that the challenge objective has been completed priorto the timer elapsing, control system 550 transmits data back to theroom 220 to inform the patron they have failed, as described above.

In another example game, the game may include a skill challenge, wherepatrons 530 may need to keep a game component moving. In such anexample, the room 220 may include a single light emitted from a firstdevice. The first device may include multiple illuminated paths thatlead to one or more second devices. The objective may be to press thesecond device associated with the light to keep the light moving for theentirety of the game.

In one embodiment, an example skill challenge permit patrons access intothe room 220. The room 220 may be dim with one LED light strippositioned above. The game may not begin until the patrons press alighted button. A sensor 542 associated with the lighted buttontransmits data to the control system, 550 indicating that the button hasbeen pressed and the control system begins a routine to animate lightingelements in the room 220 to make it appear that a “ball of light” islaunched up into a tube leading away from the lighted button. Uponlaunch, the ball of light continues moving an eventually travelsdownward toward another button box. When the ball of light reaches thebutton box, the patron presses the button box to again launch the ballof light to reach another button box. As before, a sensor 542 associatedthe button box senses that the patron has depressed the button andtransmits that data to the control system 550, which again executes aroutine to animate lighting elements in the room 220 to make it appearthat the ball of light has been relaunched. The more button boxes thatare pressed during the time period correspond to a higher score earnedby the patron. Additionally or alternatively, speed of the ball, i.e.,speed of the lighting animation, may increase after each button box issuccessfully pressed. If the ball drops all the way into a button box,that is, if a button is not depressed in time, the control system 550determines that the game has completed and it ends immediately.

In another example game, the game may include a mystery challenge, wherepatrons 530 may stand on blocks including pressure sensors 543. Otherpatrons 530 not standing on blocks may then swing, via ropes, tosidewalls of the room 220 to press, or otherwise interact with, buttonspositioned on the sidewalls. The objective may be to press all thebuttons while maintaining contact with the ropes and the blocks.

In one embodiment, an example mystery challenge includes permittingpatron's access into the room 220. When the patrons access the room, allbutton lights will be lighted. When the control system 550 receives datafrom the patron kiosk 212 that the game is beginning, it sends data backto room 220 to cause some of the buttons to flicker. After apredetermined amount of time, if the control system 550 does not receivedata from a sensor 542 indicating the flickering button has beenpressed, the control system 550 will send data to room 220 to cause thelighted button to stop flickering, signifying that the button has died,and that button will then remain off for the remainder of the game. Theobjective of this game is to have the patrons swing or push one anotherto reach the flickering buttons. Upon interaction with a flickeringbutton, a sensor 542 associated with the button transmits data to thecontrol system 550 indicating that the button has been successfullypressed. The control system 550 transmits data to the room 220 to causethat button to remain lighted for the rest of the game. The game is overafter a time period has ended or the patron has fallen off a platform inthe room. As more patrons enter the room, the less time the game allotsto the group. Additionally or alternatively, the more flickering buttonspressed equals more reward points.

In another example game, the challenge may be a communication challenge,where patrons must communicate between one another to achieve theobjective. In such an example, the patrons may include a designatednumber, where the sidewalls of the modular rooms include illuminatedspots. The patrons may achieve the objective by pressing an exact amountof illuminated light spots corresponding to their designated number.

In one embodiment, an example communication challenge permits patronsaccess into the room 220. The room 220 includes a platform, wherepatrons stand on the platform and are prohibited from touching thefloor. Instead, the patrons must stand on “spots” protruding upwardsfrom the floor. The control system 550 begins the game when it receivesdata from the room that the door has closed. The control system 550transmits data to the room 220 to display a number on a screen, such asexit monitor 214, and to illuminate a corresponding number of spots onthe floor and the walls of the room 220. The control system 550 may alsobegin a countdown and may transmit information to the exit monitor 214to cause it to display the current status of the countdown monitor.Concurrently, the control system 550 transmits information to the room220 to cause the spots to change color. The objective of this game is tohave the patrons interface with (e.g., press, cover, etc.) a number ofilluminated spots corresponding to the number displayed on the screen ofthe exit monitor 214 before time runs out. If too many spots arecovered, i.e., if too many sensors 542 report to the control system 550that they have been pressed, the patrons do not get a point, i.e., thecontrol system 550 determines that the number of spots does not equalthe number displayed on the monitor and no point is awarded to thepatrons. If too few spots are covered, i.e., if too few sensors 542report to the control system 550 that they have been pressed, thepatrons do not get a point, i.e., the control system 550 determines thatthe number of spots does not equal the number displayed on the monitorand no point is awarded to the patrons. If any off-limit spots arecovered, i.e., sensors 542 associated with spots that should not bepressed report that they are pressed, the patrons fail out of the room,i.e., the control system 550 determines that the game should endimmediately. In some embodiments, the patrons repeat this for five totalrounds, where patrons can earn a maximum of five points.

In one specific embodiment, a game room 200 may provide a self-resettinggame, that is, the ending state in which a game room is left by a firstpatron serves as the starting state for the game when played by a secondpatron. These types of games allow a room to set to initial conditionswithout requiring venue staff to attend to the room 200. In thisembodiment, the game provides a first challenge to a first group ofpatrons. The first group of patrons leaves the game room in a physicalstate that presents a second challenge to a second group of patrons.Although described in terms of a first challenge and a second challenge,any number of challenges may be enabled by such a room as will bedescribed below. The game may be selectively adjustable between a firstgame configuration and a second game configuration. The first gameconfiguration may include a first game components and a first challenge,and the second game configuration may include a second game componentsand a second challenge. The first challenge may be different than thesecond challenge. The first game configuration may present the firstgame components in a first presentation. Additionally or alternatively,the first game configuration may present the first game components in athird presentation. The second game configuration may present the secondgame components in a second presentation. Additionally or alternatively,the second game configuration may present the second game components ina fourth presentation. The objective of the first game configuration maybe to move the first game components into a first solutionconfiguration. The objective of the second game configuration may be tomove the second game components into a second solution configuration.The first game configuration may define a different game componentposition than the first solution configuration, and the second gameconfiguration may define a different game component than the secondsolution configuration. By way of example, the first challenge maypresent the first game components in a first presentation and the secondchallenge may present the second game components in a secondpresentation. The first presentation may be the second solutionconfiguration, and the second presentation may be the first solutionconfiguration.

The control system 550 may further include the room sensors 542 thatdetect the first and second game components. The room sensors 542 maydetermine a position of the first and second game components in relationto one of the first solution configuration and the second solutionconfiguration. For example, in a first status, the patron 530 may playthe game when the game is in the first configuration. If the patron 530does not complete the first challenge, the sensors may detect theposition of the game components in relation to the first challenge. Ifthe game components are proximate or partially received in relation tothe first challenge, the control system 550 may automatically adjust thegame. More specifically, the processor 554 may receive the sensor dataand communicate the sensor feedback to the memory 552. The memory 552may compare the game components position to the first challenge or thesecond challenge to determine an appropriate game configuration. Inresponse to the game components being proximate the second solutionconfiguration, the memory 552 may provide a status back to the processor554 to adjust the entertainment game to the second game configuration.Accordingly, if the game components are proximate the first solutionconfiguration, the memory 552 may provide a status back to the processor554 to adjust the entertainment game to the first game configuration. Inanother example, if the game components are not proximate either of thefirst or second solution configurations, the memory 552 may selectbetween one of the first and second game configurations. In such anexample, the memory 552 may automatically reset into the first gameconfiguration. The control system 550 may determine that the game hasended. In one example, the control system 550 may determine that thegame is over by successful completion of the objective, via the roomsensors 542. In another example, the control system 550 may determinethat the game is over by completion of the game time. In such anexample, the control system 550 may determine successful completion orunsuccessful incompletion of the objective. The control system 550readjusts the game configuration after each game is played. The controlsystem 550, via the room sensors 542, may determine successful orunsuccessful completion of the objective. In one example, the roomsensors 542 may be proximity sensors that determine a location of eitherthe first and second game components. In such an example, if the gamecomponents are correctly positioned, the control system 550 maydetermine, via the memory 552, an amount of stars to reward the patron530. As can be appreciated, the control system 550 automatically resetsbetween the game configurations, where the control system 550 requiresminimal, if any, external support (e.g., employee support, etc.) toadjust the entertainment game 850 between games. If a game challenge iscompleted successfully, the control system 550 may select a differentchallenge for the next patron or patron group to enter the room 220.

In brief overview, a method for providing the self-resetting game in theroom 220 includes providing game components, determining a presentationof the game components, allowing the patron 530 into the room 220,detecting a completion of the game, and determining a status of thegame.

Providing the game components includes at least one of the first gamecomponents and the second game components. The first and second gamecomponents are repositionable within the room 220 of the interactivephysical environment 100. In some embodiments, the game componentsinclude more than two game components (e.g., third game components,fourth game components, etc.).

Determining a presentation of the game components includes utilizing thecontrol system 550 to receive a position data from the room sensors 542,the position data representing a position of either the first gamecomponents or the second game components. The room sensors 542 may be atleast one of proximity sensors, pressure sensors, or the like. Thecontrol system 550 may receive position data from the room sensors 542and determining if the first game components are within a firstpresentation or if the second game components are within the secondpresentation. By way of example, if the first game components are withinthe first presentation, the first game components may present the firstchallenge, and if the second game components are within the secondpresentation, the second game components may present the secondchallenge. In other embodiments, the first game components may be withina third presentation. In such an embodiment, the third presentation maydefine any position of the game components where the game components arenot within the first presentation or the second presentation. The thirdpresentation may present the first challenge.

Allowing the patron 530 into the room 220 includes utilizing the controlsystem 550 to determine if the patron 530 has scanned into the room 220.The patron 530 may scan the identifier 535, via the scanner at thepatron kiosk 212, to check-in to the room 220. The identifier 535 may beone of the RFID tag, QR code, bar code, biometric characteristics, etc.By way of example, multiple patrons 530 may check-in to the patron kiosk212 to check-in to the room 220 (e.g., two patrons 530, four patrons530, six patrons 530, etc.). If the room 220 is currently providing agame to patrons 530 positioned within the room 220, the control system550 may not permit the patrons 530 access into the room 220. If the room220 is not currently providing a game to patrons 530, the control system550 may permit the patrons 530 access to the room 220.

Detecting the completion of the game includes the control system 550receiving a status, via the room sensors 542, of the game. The roomsensors 542 may detect a position of either the first and second gamecomponents, and provide the position data to the control system 550. Thecontrol system 550 may compare the position data to an objectiveposition data, via objective position data stored within the memory 552,to determine successful or unsuccessful completion of the objective.

Determining the status of the game includes the control system 550determining the status. The control system 550 may compare the positiondata to a first solution configuration or a second solutionconfiguration. The first solution configuration may present a solutionto the first game configuration and the second solution configurationmay present a solution to the second game configuration. The firstsolution configuration may be substantially different than the firstsolution configuration. Additionally, the first solution configurationmay define the second presentation and the second solution configurationmay define the first presentation.

In one embodiment, a self-resetting game is provided as a dinnerparty-themed logic puzzle. The goal of the game is to move entrees,beverages, and name cards around the table to set the table for a dinnerparty. The control system 550 selects a set of RSVPs from a plurality ofsets of RSVPs stored in memory 552, a menu from a plurality of menusstored in memory 552 and a guest letter from a plurality of guestletters stored in memory 552. The selected items are transmitted to theroom 220 for display on the exit monitor 214. Patrons must set the tablein accord with the displayed information within a predetermined timeperiod.

When starting the game for a patron, the control system 550 receivesdata from one or more sensors 542 identifying the location of the gamecomponents, such as dishes, utensils and name cards, as those gamecomponents were left by the prior patron. The control system 550 usesthe received game component data to select one of a plurality ofchallenges for the incoming patron. In one embodiment, the controlsystem 550 chooses a challenge that requires moving the largest numberof game components from their starting positions reported to the controlsystem 550. In some embodiments, if the patron sets the entire tableproperly in under 4 minutes, they earn three stars, in under 4:30minutes, 2 stars, and in under 5 minutes, 1 star. In these embodiments,if the control system 550 determines that 5 minutes have elapsed, ittransmits data to the room 220 to cause the lighting elements, audioelements and exit monitor 214 to indicate failure.

In one embodiment, the control system 550 selectively adjusts thedifficulty level by awarding fewer reward points to larger groupsrequiring the same amount of time to complete the game as smallergroups. For example, following completion of the game, the controlsystem 550 can cause processor 554 to access the following tablestructure from memory 552:

Group Size 1 Star 2 Star 3 Star 2 Players 5 min. 4:30 min. 4 min. 3Players 5 min. 4 min. 3:30 min. 4 Players 5 min. 3:30 min. 3 min. 5Players 5 min. 3 min. 2:30 min. 6 Players 5 min. 2 min. 1 min.The control system 550 can cause the processor 554 to lookup, using thenumber of players reported h the patron kiosk 212 and the elapsed timeof the countdown timer to determine how many stars to award the patronsfor completion of the game. For example, if 4 patron completed the gamein 3 minutes and 15 seconds, the processor 554 would access the “4Players” row in the table data structure. Since the elapsed time, inthis example, is less than 3:30 minutes but more than 3 minutes, theprocessor add 2 stars to the patron card 430 associated with the patron.In some embodiment, each f the patrons would receive two stars and inother embodiments, the awarded stars would be distributed among thepatrons.

In some embodiments, the control system 550 can modify the difficulty ofthe game responsive to the size of the patron group playing. In theseembodiments, the control system may apply a scaling factor to the timeperiod in the table data structure to increase difficulty. For example,the control system may divide the time periods stored in the table by 2if the patron group is six players. In this example, to achieve a threestar performance, the patron group would need to complete the challengein 30 seconds.

Other games may be combinations of the various examples just describedabove. For example, a game may require both skill from, andcommunication between, the patrons playing the game.

When the patron 530 scans the identifier 535, the patron kiosk 212 sendsa command, via a network 540, to request information from the controlsystem 550. The control system 550 includes a memory 552 and a processor554. The member 550 stores information associated with the patron 530,such as a patron avatar data structure 560 and a patron card datastructure 430.

The memory 552 may store machine instructions that, when executed by theprocessor 554, cause the processor 554 to perform one or more ofcomputer operations. The processor 554 may include one or moremicroprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), other forms of processing circuits, orcombinations thereof. The memory 552 may include, but is not limited to,electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other storage or transmissiondevice capable of providing the processor 554 with program instructions.The memory 552 may include storage devices such as a floppy disk,CD-ROM, DVD, magnetic disk, memory chip, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, EPROM, flashmemory, optical media, or any other suitable memory from which theprocessor 554 can read instructions and/or data. The processor 554 andthe memory 552 may form a processing module.

The control system 550 may track and/or log the position of a patron 530via the identifier 535 associated with the patron 530. The rooms 220 mayinclude one or more room sensors 542. The room sensors 542 may be atleast one or more sensors positioned within the rooms 220 or on anoutside of the rooms 220. The room sensors 542 positioned within therooms 220 may be motion sensors that detect the presence of the patronor the sensors may directly detect the identifier associated with thepatron. Additionally or alternatively, the room sensors 542 positionedon the outside of the rooms 220 may detect the presence of the patron orthe sensors may directly detect the identifier associate with thepatron.

In response to determining patron position, the room sensors 542 maysend position data to a control system 550 identifying the patronposition. More specifically, the processor 554 may receive the positiondata from the room sensors 542 and store the position data within thememory 552. The memory 552 may create a log of patron position data foreach patron 530.

Referring now to FIGS. 35-47 , the patron 530 may access the patronkiosk 212 to view one or more kiosk screens. The patron 530 may accessthe patron kiosk 212 for each room 220. Upon scanning the identifier535, the patron 530 may access a first screen 600 at the patron kiosk212, as shown in FIG. 35 . The first screen 600 may identify a number ofstars that the patron 530 has earned for a given day. In otherembodiments, the first screen 600 may identify a total number of starsearned in a career. In further embodiments, the first screen 600 mayalways be displayed and the information provided may relate to the roomitself, e.g., 3% of all patrons have earned three stars playing thisgame.

In some embodiments, upon scanning the identifier 535, the patron kiosk212 may display a second screen 610, as shown in FIG. 36 . In such anembodiment, the second screen 610 may identify a locked room 220. Thesecond screen 610 identifies an amount of gems, or other in-game ordigital currency, needed to unlock the room 220. Additionally oralternatively, the second screen 610 permits the patron 530 to tradecoins for gems if the patron does not have enough gems to access theroom 220. In another embodiment, upon scanning the identifier 535, thepatron kiosk 212 may display a third screen 620, as shown in FIG. 37 .The third screen 620 may be substantially similar to the second screen610, although the patron 530 does not have any coins to trade for gems.In such a screen, the third screen 620 directs the patron to play morerooms 220 to earn the gems.

In some embodiments, upon scanning the identifier 535, the patron kiosk212 may display a fourth screen 630, as shown in FIG. 38 , allowing thepatron 530 to purchase access to the locked room 220 in examples wherethe patron 530 currently has a sufficient amount of currency. The patronmay select between an agree button (e.g., check-mark, etc.) or a cancelbutton (e.g., x-button, etc.). The screens 610-630 may be optional forembodiments in which the rooms 220 are not locked.

As shown in FIG. 39 , the patron kiosk 212 may display a fifth screen640 in response to the patron 530 scanning the identifier 535. The fifthscreen 640 indicate a group of patrons registered to enter the room 220.The fifth screen 640 may display a patron name and the patron avatar 560associated with each registered patron 530. By way of example, the fifthscreen 640 may only display the number of patrons that are able toaccess the room 220 (e.g., between 2 and 6 patrons). The fifth screen640 may further indicate a time limit for the room 220 (e.g., as shownin the top right corner of the fifth screen 640, etc.). Although thefifth screen 640 identifies a time limit of 3 minutes, the room 220 mayinclude any time limit needed to complete the existing challenge andgrant access to patrons 530 waiting outside of the room 220. In otherembodiments, the fifth screen 640 may identify estimated time remaininguntil the patron will be provided access to the room 200. The fifthscreen 640 may further include a hint for the room 220 (e.g., as shownin the bottom right corner of the fifth screen 640, etc.). As will bediscussed in greater detail herein, the hint may be a selection from thepatron 530 to access one or more hints associated with the room 220.

When at the fifth screen 640, the patron 530 may select the specificpatron avatar 560 to view a patron card 430. The patron card 430 may bea unique account card associated with the unique patron 530. The patron530 may access the patron card 430 to view statistics associated withthe patron 530. In other embodiments, the patron 530 may access thepatron card 430 to view account settings. As shown in FIG. 40 , thepatron 530 may access the patron card 430 to access a number of stars440, a number of coins 450, a number of keys 460, a status ofachievements 470, one or more glyphs 480, a number of Easter Eggs 490(e.g., hidden challenges, etc.), a selection of hints 500, apparel 510,etc. Stars 440 may designate a progress rank or level of the patron 530.The coins 450 and keys 460 may be used as digital currency to purchaseproducts within the interactive physical environment 100 (e.g., food,drinks, apparel 510, play time, etc.).

Referring now to FIGS. 41 and 42 , various examples of patron cards 430are depicted. FIG. 41 depicts multiple patron cards 430 a on the patronkiosk 212. The patron cards 430 a are displayed vertically from oneanother. In other embodiments, the patron cards 430 a may be displayedhorizontally, vertically or angularly to one another. The patrons 530may view multiple patron cards 430 a to compare statistics betweenindividual patrons 530. As shown in FIG. 42 , the patron kiosk 212 maydisplay a single patron card 430 b. The patron card 430 b depicteddisplays the patron name, the stars 440, the number of coins 450, thestatus of achievements 470, the patron level, and a number of gems. Asshown on a left side of the patron card 430 b, the patron card 430 b mayfurther include one or more tabs, where the patron 530 may interfacewith the one or more tabs to access different features within the patroncard 430 b. For example, the patron 530 may access the one or more tabsto access the number of Easter Eggs 490.

If no patron 530 selects the patron avatar 560, the patron kiosk 212 maydisplay a sixth screen 650, as shown in FIG. 43 . The sixth screen 650may be substantially similar to the fifth screen 640, except for now thepatron may select a play button (e.g., arrow, etc.) to enter the room220.

The control system 550 may determine whether to provide a hint or to notprovide a hint. The patron 530 may interface with the patron kiosk 212for a hint selection. The hint selection may be to select one of a hint.Alternatively, the patron 530 may interface with the patron kiosk to nothave a hint. By way of example, the patron 530 may select a lightbulbsymbol (e.g., lower right corner, etc.) on the patron kiosk 212. Inother embodiments, the patron 530 may select another symbol representingthe hint selection.

When the patron 530 wishes to access one or more hints, the patron 530may interface with a hint button to display, via the patron kiosk 212,an eighth screen 670, as shown in FIG. 44 . The eight screen 670 mayrepresent a screen indicating that the patron has selected for the hint.As shown, the hint may include various levels of hints (e.g., tiny hint,better hint, 3-star hint, etc.). The patron 530 may select the desiredhint in order to enhance the patron experience. In one example, thepatron 530 may not choose a hint. In another example, the patron 530 maychoose one or more of the sizes of hints. As can be appreciated, themore hints that are chosen may make the game challenge easier tocomplete. As shown in FIGS. 45 and 46 , the patron kiosk 212 may displaya ninth screen 680 and a tenth screen 690. The screens 680, 690 mayindicate that the patron has selected the desired hint. By way ofexample, the hints may be freely given to the patrons 530 to enhancepatron experience. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 45, the ninthscreen 690 indicates that the hint may be purchased for an amount ofcoins, and may further identify an amount of coins that each patron hasthat are playing the challenge. As shown in FIG. 46 , the tenth screen690 displays the hint to the patrons.

More specifically, the control system 550 may receive the hint selectioncommand, where the processor 554 communicates with the memory 552. Thememory 552 may include a lookup table corresponding to the hintselection. The lookup table may be a generic lookup table includinghints for all the games. The lookup table may include various hint types(e.g., tiny hint, better hint, 3-star hint, etc.) associated with eachgame challenge. The memory 552 may provide a hint feedback to theprocessor 554. In response to receiving the hint feedback, the processor554 may send a command to provide the hint, or to not provide the hint.According to one example, the hint selection may display onto the patronkiosk 212 for the patron 530 to view. As can be appreciated, the processfor the hint selection may be repeated consecutively to provide thepatron 530 with more than one hint.

As shown in FIG. 47 , the patron kiosk 212 may display an eleventhscreen 700. The eleventh screen 700 may indicate that the room 220 isready for the patrons 530 to play. In other embodiments, the eleventhscreen 700 may automatically display onto the patron kiosk 512indicating that the room 220 is empty and ready for play.

Referring now to FIGS. 48 and 49 , each patron 530 may be associatedwith a patron avatar 560. The patron avatar 560 may be displayed on thepatron's unique patron card. As shown in FIG. 46 , the patron avatar 560may include at least one of an animation 562, a window 564, an effect566, a star count 568, a color 570, a glow 572, an icon 574, a pattern576, and a map pin 578. As discussed in greater detail herein, thepatron avatar 560 may evolve to include more emblem features (e.g.,animation 562, effect 564, window 564, effect 566, star count 568, color570, glow 572, icon 574, pattern 576, and map pin 578) as the patron'slevel increases. According to one example, the patron may unlock accessto the different emblem features by advancing levels. For example, thepatron may include access to a set of one of the emblem features, and,as the patron levels up, the patron gains access to sets of theadditional emblem features. As can be appreciated, the patron avatar 560can advance in customization and complexity as the patron advances inlevels (e.g., as shown in FIG. 38 ).

Referring specifically to FIG. 48 , the patron avatar 560 may bemodified and customized by the control system 550. The control system550 may receive a command from the patron 530 to select or change one ormore features of the patron avatar 560. The features may include theanimation 562, the window 564, the effect 566, the star count 568, thecolor 570, the glow 572, the icon 574, the pattern 576, and the map pin578. More specifically, the processor 554 may receive the command fromthe patron 530 to select or change elements of the patron avatar 560. Inresponse to receiving such a command, the processor 554 retrieves frommemory 552 the data structure representing the patron avatar 560. Insome embodiments, the data structure may be an array of values, a linkedlist of values, or a lookup table. In still other embodiments, avatardata structures may be stored in a database. The requested changes maybe made to the avatar data structure by the processor 554 and theupdated data structure can be stored to memory 552.

In brief overview, a method for providing the patron avatar 560 includesidentifying a patron 530, transmitting patron 530 identificationinformation, determining patron 530 performance, transmitting gameperformance data, receiving patron 530 identification information,receiving game performance data, and modifying the patron avatar 560associated with the patron 530.

Identifying a patron 530 includes utilizing the control system 550 todetermine if the patron 530 has scanned into the room 220. The patron530 may scan the identifier 535, via the scanner at the patron kiosk212, to check-in to the room 220. The identifier 535 may be one of theRFID tag, QR code, bar code, biometric characteristics, etc. By way ofexample, multiple patrons 530 may check-in to the patron kiosk 212 tocheck-in to the room 220 (e.g., two patrons 530, four patrons 530, sixpatrons 530, etc.).

Transmitting patron 530 identification information includestransmitting, from the scanner, associated patron identificationinformation via the network 540. The network 540 may be a wirelessnetwork (e.g., Wi-Fi, cloud based, Bluetooth, etc.) or could be a wirednetwork. The patron identification information may be specific to thepatron 530, where the identifier 535 links the specific patron 530 totheir associated identification information.

Determining patron 530 performance includes utilizing the control system550 to determine a status of the game. The control system 550 mayreceive status data from the room sensors 542, where the room sensors542 determine a status of objectives within the room 220. The status maydefine a status of the patron 530 performance by comparing the statusdata to an objective data. The objective data may be a time dataassociated with an amount of time in which it takes the patron 530 tocomplete the objective. Additionally or alternatively, the objectivedata may be a count data associated with a number of objectives reachedduring the game. Additionally or alternatively, the objective data maybe a complete or incomplete objective data (e.g., objective achieved,objective not achieved, etc.).

Transmitting game performance data includes transmitting, from thecontrol system 550, the game performance data via the network 540. Asdiscussed above, the network 540 may be a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi,cloud based, Bluetooth, etc.) or could be a wired network.

Receiving patron 530 identification information includes the patronkiosk 212 receiving the patron 530 identification information from thecontrol system 550. The control system 550 may communicate through thenetwork 540 to display the patron 530 identification information. Theidentification information could be the patron card 430, patron avatar560, or the like.

Receiving game performance data includes the patron kiosk 212 receivingthe game performance data from the control system 550. The controlsystem 550 may communicate through the network 540 to display the gameperformance data. The game performance data may be a reward associatedwith the game. For example, the game performance data may display thereward earned from playing the game. In another example, the gameperformance data may display that the patron 530 has not earned thereward.

Modifying the patron avatar 560 associated with the patron 530 includesreceiving the patron avatar 560 or patron card 430 associated with thepatron 530 from the control system 550. The patron avatar 560 and/orpatron card 430 may be displayed onto the patron kiosk 212. The patron530 may select the patron card 430 to access the patron avatar 560. Whenviewing the patron avatar 560, the patron 530 may select to change oradd in the avatar features. In one embodiment, the patron avatar 560 andthe patron card 430 are stored within a data storage element within thememory 552. More specifically, the data storage element may store apatron identifying information, including the patron avatar 560 and thepatron card 430. Upon selection of new or changing avatar features, thememory 552 updates and stores the new patron avatar information withinthe patron identifying information. In some embodiments, the patron carddata structure stored in memory 552 may be updated to permit the patron530 access to and the ability to modify new sets of avatar features.

Referring now to FIG. 50 , various examples of patron avatars 590 areshown. As shown, the patron avatars advance based upon levelprogression. For example, FIG. 50 shows a first level patron avatar 590a, a second level patron avatar 590 b, a third level patron avatar 590c, a fourth level patron avatar 590 d, a fifth level patron avatar 590e, a sixth level patron avatar 590 f, a seventh level patron avatar 590g, an eighth level patron avatar 590 h, and a ninth level patron avatar590 i. The patron avatars 590 a-590 i are shown to advance and/or evolveinto more sophisticated patron avatars as the patron achieves a greaterlevel. The patron avatar advancements and/or effects are described abovewith respect to FIGS. 48 and 49 .

The control system 550 may determine an amount of digital currencyneeded to purchase real world items. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol system 550 may be a control system that determine the amount ofdigital currency to access new rooms. The patron 530 may purchase thereal world items or access new spaces by using digital currency. Thedigital currency may be gems, coins, keys, tokens, or the like. Thepatron 530 may purchase the real world items or access new spaces viathe patron kiosk 212. Alternatively, an additional kiosk may be used topurchase real world items or access new spaces. The processor 554 mayreceive a command from the patron 530, the command being at least one ofto purchase the real world items 770 or access the new spaces 780. Theprocessor 554 may communicate the command to the memory 554, where thememory 554 may include a lookup table. The lookup table may be a tabledefining all of the products available for purchasing and an associateddigital currency amount for each. The memory 552 may pull the digitalcurrency data associated with each item. When the patron 530 makes apurchase, the processor 554 determines the associated digital currencyamount from the memory 552 and charges the associated digital currencyamount from the patron 530. After the processor 554 charges theassociated digital currency amount, the processor 554 determines a newdigital currency for the unique patron 530.

The control system 550 may automatically change a difficulty of a gamechallenge based on a number of patrons 530. The number of patrons 530may be substantially equivalent or equal to a number of identifiers 535.Upon entrance into the room 220 the identifier 535 for each patron 530is scanned. The game challenge may change in difficulty or change areward based on the number of patrons 530. The control system 550 maydetect the number of patrons 530 within the room 220 via scanning of theidentifiers 535 and/or proximity sensors positioned within the room 220.In other embodiments, a QR code may be scanned, a physical feature ofthe patron 815 may be scanned (e.g., retinal, facial recognition,fingerprint, etc.), or an account number associated with the patron 815may be inputted. In response to detecting the number of patrons 530, thecontrol system 550 provides the information to the processor 554, wherethe processor 554 may communicate the number of patrons 530 to thememory 552. The memory 552 may include a lookup table. The lookup tablemay include information for the number of patrons 530 and the gamechallenge. An example lookup table is shown below in Table 1.

Table 1 is an example lookup table for the game challenges. Group Size 1Star 2 Star 3 Star 2 Players 1 2 3 3 Players 2 4 7 4 Players 3 5 8 5Players 4 6 9 6 Players 5 7 10

As shown in Table 1 above, the game challenges vary depending on thenumber of patrons 530. More specifically, a reward for completing thegame challenges varies depending on the number of patrons 530. Forexample, if there are two patrons 530, the patrons 530 can earn amaximum of 3 stars for completing the game challenges by reaching anobjective of 3. In another example, if there are six patrons 530, thepatrons 530 can earn a maximum of 3 stars for completing the challengesby reaching an objective of 10. The status of the game challenge can beany status corresponding to the game challenges. The control system 550may further be communicably coupled to the rooms 220. The control system550 may receive a signal from the rooms 220 on a status of the gamechallenges while the patrons 530 are playing the entertainment game.Based on the feedback from the number of patrons 530 and the feedbackfrom rooms 220, the processor 554 may determine an amount of stars toreward the patron 530 upon completion of the game challenges. Although aparticular group size and reward are shown in Table 1, it can beappreciated that the lookup table can include any number of patrons andassociated rewards for completing game challenges.

Upon completion of the game challenge (e.g., objective, etc.), thecontrol system 550 may reward the patron 530. More specifically, theprocessor 554 may determine a level of the challenge received based onthe feedback from the room 220. The processor 554 may communicate thefeedback to the memory 552, where the memory 552 determines, via thelookup table, an amount of stars to reward the patron 530. Inassociation, the memory 552 communicates the reward back to theprocessor 554, where the processor 554 presents the reward back to thepatron 530. Additionally or alternatively, the memory 552 increases anamount of stars stored within a data storage element (e.g., patron card430) for each patron 530. As can be appreciated, the memory 552 mayaccess the data storage element for each patron 530, where the memory552 adjusts an amount of digital currency (e.g., stars, coins, keys,tokens, points, etc.) based on a feedback from the processor 554.

The control system 550 may provide a status for each patron 530 toenable play or disable play based on an in-game selection. When playinga game within the room 220, the patron 530 may make the in-gameselection to advance or reach the objective. The in-game selection maypermit or prevent the patron 530 from advancing through the room 220based on the selection. For example, the patron 530 may make either oneof a correct selection or an incorrect selection. Based on theselection, the patron 530 may be granted access to keep playing oradvance within the room 220. The incorrect selection may further includeone or more feedbacks, referred to herein as a number of incorrectselections, successive incorrect selections, and difficulty ofselection. In other embodiments, the one or more feedbacks may includemore feedbacks than described above (e.g., number of patrons, level ofpatrons, etc.).

The control system 550 may receive the in-game selection via the roomsensors 542. In one example, the room sensors 542 may be pressuresensors that detect the patron 530. In another example, the room sensors542 may be proximity sensors that detect movement of the patron 530. Theprocessor 554 may compare data from room sensors 542 with a lookup tableor other data stored in memory 552 to determine whether to enable orcontinue play. In such an example, the patron 530 advances through theroom 220 or onto the next challenge. In response to the incorrectin-game selection, the processor 554 disables play for the patron 530.In such an example, the room 220 may provide a feedback to the patron530 signifying that the objective has not been completed and the game isover. In one example, the lights may changes brightness or color. Inanother example, the exit monitor 214 may provide a display. In anotherexample, the room 220 may include audio to signify to the patron 530. Insome embodiments, the error selection may be scaled based on the numberof incorrect selections, the number of incorrect successive selections,and the difficulty of the selection. When play for the patron 530 isdisabled, it may be for a particular time limit, game duration,selection limit, etc. In some embodiments, if the patron 530 has made afirst incorrect selection at an easy difficulty, the control system 550may disable play for a short amount of time. In another example, if thepatron 530 has made successive incorrect selections at a harddifficulty, the control system 550 may disable play for a greater amountof time.

In brief overview, a method of entertaining the patron 530 includescoupling walls 210 to form the room 220, presenting the game to thepatron 530 including the identifier 535, receiving patron identificationinformation, and modifying the game presented in the room 220.

Coupling walls 210 to form the room 220 includes one or more wallconfigurations 212 a-212 e are coupled together to form the room 220.The wall configuration may form a structure corresponding to the roomentrance 230. The walls 210 may include the linkage assemblies 240 a-240b, 260 a-260 b, the linkage assemblies extending outward from the wallconfigurations 212 a-212 e to present an enclosed structure for thepatrons 530.

Presenting the game to the patron 530 includes permitting the patron 530access into the room 220. The patron 530 may be permitted access intothe room 220 via the room entrance 230. The patron 530 may include theidentifier 535, where the identifier 535 is scanned at the patron kiosk212 to check-in the patron 530 for the room 220. Upon scanning into thepatron kiosk 212, the patron card 430 is displayed onto the screen. Thescreen may include all patron cards 430 associated with all the patrons530 checked-in to the room 220.

In some embodiments, the game includes a plurality of game componentspositionable in a first game configuration and a second gameconfiguration. The first game configuration may present a firstchallenge and the second game configuration may present a secondchallenge. The second game configuration may further present a solutionto the first challenge. Accordingly, the first game configuration maypresent a solution to the second challenge.

In some embodiments, the game includes a hint selection. The patron 530may select for one or more hints associated with the game, via thepatron kiosk 212. The patron 530 may choose between varying levels ofhints (e.g., tiny hint, better hint, 3-star hint, etc.). The patronkiosk 212 may send a command to the control system 550, via the network540, to pull the desired hint from the memory 552. The control system550 may provide the hint information back to the patron kiosk 212, wherethe patron kiosk 212 displays the hint onto the screen of the patronkiosk 212.

Receiving patron 530 identification information includes the patronkiosk 212 receiving the patron 530 identification information from thecontrol system 550. The control system 550 may communicate through thenetwork 540 to display the patron 530 identification information. Theidentification information could be the patron card 430, patron avatar560, or the like.

Modifying the game presented in the room 220 includes changing, via thecontrol system 550, the objectives of the room 220. In one example, thecontrol system 550 may change the room objectives based on group size.In such an example, the control system 550 may receive a status from thescanner, the status signifying an amount of patrons 530 checked-in tothe room. In response to receiving the scanner status, the controlsystem 550 may pull, from the lookup table within the memory 552,objective information for the room 220 (e.g., as shown in Table 1). Thecontrol system 550 may automatically adjust the objective to scale tothe group size. Accordingly, the room may require more objectives to beachieved in order to receive maximum reward, for large group sizes.

In some embodiments, the control system 550 may receive status data fromthe room sensors 542, where the room sensors 542 determine a status ofobjectives within the room 220. The status may define a status of thepatron 530 performance by comparing the status data to an objectivedata. The objective data may be a time data associated with an amount oftime in which it takes the patron 530 to complete the objective.Additionally or alternatively, the objective data may be a count dataassociated with a number of objectives reached during the game.Additionally or alternatively, the objective data may be a complete orincomplete objective data (e.g., objective achieved, objective notachieved, etc.).

In such an embodiment, the patron kiosk 212 receives the gameperformance data from the control system 550. The control system 550 maycommunicate through the network 540 to display the game performancedata. The game performance data may be a reward associated with thegame. For example, the game performance data may display the rewardearned from playing the game. In another example, the game performancedata may display that the patron 530 has not earned the reward.

In such an embodiment, the patron kiosk 212 receives the patron avatar560 or patron card 430 associated with the patron 530 from the controlsystem 550. The patron avatar 560 and/or patron card 430 may bedisplayed onto the patron kiosk 212. The patron 530 may select thepatron card 430 to access the patron avatar 560. When viewing the patronavatar 560, the patron 530 may select to change or add in the avatarfeatures. In one embodiment, the patron avatar 560 and the patron card430 are stored within a data storage element within the memory 552. Morespecifically, the data storage element may store a patron identifyinginformation, including the patron avatar 560 and the patron card 430.Upon selection of new or changing avatar features, the memory 552updates and stores the new patron avatar information within the patronidentifying information. In some embodiment, the memory 552 may beupdated to permit the patron 530 access to new sets of avatar features.

As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”,and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony withthe common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art towhich the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should beunderstood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure thatthese terms are intended to allow a description of certain featuresdescribed and claimed without restricting the scope of these features tothe precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms shouldbe interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequentialmodifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimedare considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited inthe appended claims.

It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, asused herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicatethat such embodiments are possible examples, representations, orillustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intendedto connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary orsuperlative examples).

The term “coupled” and variations thereof, as used herein, means thejoining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Suchjoining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g.,removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the twomembers coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled toeach other using a separate intervening member and any additionalintermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two memberscoupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If“coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term(e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” providedabove is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term(e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without anyseparate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition thanthe generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may bemechanical, electrical, or fluidic.

References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,”“above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of variouselements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation ofvarious elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments,and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the presentdisclosure.

The hardware and data processing components used to implement thevarious processes, operations, illustrative logics, logical blocks,modules and circuits described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purposesingle- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A generalpurpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventionalprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processoralso may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, particularprocesses and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific toa given function. The memory (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device)may include one or more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard diskstorage) for storing data and/or computer code for completing orfacilitating the various processes, layers and modules described in thepresent disclosure. The memory may be or include volatile memory ornon-volatile memory, and may include database components, object codecomponents, script components, or any other type of informationstructure for supporting the various activities and informationstructures described in the present disclosure. According to anexemplary embodiment, the memory is communicably connected to theprocessor via a processing circuit and includes computer code forexecuting (e.g., by the processing circuit or the processor) the one ormore processes described herein.

The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and programproducts on any machine-readable media for accomplishing variousoperations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implementedusing existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computerprocessor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or anotherpurpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of thepresent disclosure include program products comprising machine-readablemedia for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or datastructures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be anyavailable media that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example,such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, orother optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or storedesired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions ordata structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Combinationsof the above are also included within the scope of machine-readablemedia. Machine-executable instructions include, for example,instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform acertain function or group of functions.

Although the figures and description may illustrate a specific order ofmethod steps, the order of such steps may differ from what is depictedand described, unless specified differently above. Also, two or moresteps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unlessspecified differently above. Such variation may depend, for example, onthe software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. Allsuch variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise,software implementations of the described methods could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps,comparison steps, and decision steps.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An interactive physical environmentproviding entertainment to a patron, comprising: a room, formed bymodular walls coupled to one another, presenting a game comprising aplurality of game components positionable in a first startingconfiguration and a second starting configuration, the first startingconfiguration presenting a first challenge to a first patron and thesecond starting configuration comprising an ending state of theplurality of game components following interaction of the first patronwith the plurality of game components, the second starting configurationpresenting a second challenge to a second patron; a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag associated with each of the patrons; and acontrol system receiving patron identification information from the RFIDtag associated with the patron, the control system selectively modifyingthe game presented by the room responsive to the received patronidentification information.
 2. The interactive physical environment ofclaim 1, the room further comprising a door operated by the controlsystem to control ingress to the room.
 3. The interactive physicalenvironment of claim 1, the room further comprising a screen displayingpatron status information received from the control system.
 4. Theinteractive physical environment of claim 3, the screen displaying anavatar associated with the patron, the avatar received from the controlsystem.
 5. The interactive physical environment of claim 3, the screendisplaying a hint for the game, the hint received from the controlsystem.
 6. The interactive physical environment of claim 1, the controlsystem monitoring patron performance.
 7. The interactive physicalenvironment of claim 1, the control system modifying an avatarassociated with the patron responsive to the patron performance.
 8. Theinteractive physical environment of claim 1, the control system awardinga reward point to the patron responsive to the completion of the game bythe patron.
 9. The interactive physical environment of claim 1, furthercomprising a registration kiosk receiving information from the patron toassociate the RFID tag with the patron.
 10. The interactive physicalenvironment of claim 1, further comprising a scanner associated with theroom, the scanner comprising an RFID tag scanner.
 11. A method forproviding entertainment to a patron in a physical environment, themethod comprising: coupling modular walls to one another to form a room;presenting, in the formed room, a game comprising a plurality of gamecomponents positionable in a first starting configuration and a secondstarting configuration, the first starting configuration presenting afirst challenge to a first patron and the second starting configurationcomprising an ending state of the plurality of game components followinginteraction of the first patron with the plurality of game components,the second starting configuration presenting a second challenge to asecond patron; associating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tagwith each of the patrons; receiving, by a control system, patronidentification information from the RFID tag associated with the patron;and selectively modifying the game presented by the room responsive tothe received patron identification information.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising providing a door controlling ingress to the room.13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving patron statusinformation from the control system and displaying the receivedinformation on a screen.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprisingreceiving an avatar associated with the patron from the control systemand displaying the received avatar on a screen.
 15. The method of claim14, further comprising system modifying, by the control system, theavatar associated with the patron responsive to the patron performance.16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving from thecontrol system a hint for the game and displaying the received hint on ascreen.
 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising monitoring, bythe control system, patron performance.
 18. The method of claim 11,further comprising awarding, by the control system, a reward point tothe patron responsive to the completion of the game by the patron. 19.The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving information fromthe patron at a registration kiosk and associating the RFID tag with thepatron using the received information.